How to Send Your First WhatsApp Broadcast (Step by Step)
From blank screen to scheduled send in six steps — including the test-send that saves you from typos going out to thousands.
This is the end-to-end walkthrough for sending a broadcast in ConvoFly. Budget about ten minutes for your first one; after that it's a two-minute job.
Before you start, you'll need two things: your WhatsApp number connected to ConvoFly, and a few contacts who've opted in to hear from you.
Step 1 — Have an approved template
Every broadcast starts from a Meta-approved message template. In ConvoFly, open Templates, create one in the Marketing or Utility category, and wait for approval (usually minutes to a few hours). Leave placeholders like {{1}} where you want personalized values.
Step 2 — Start a new broadcast
Go to Broadcasts → New campaign. You'll be asked how you want to reach people — choose One-time broadcast (the other option, Drip campaign, is for a multi-step drip). Give it a name only you'll see (e.g. "July flash sale — returning buyers") and pick the template you approved in step 1.
Step 3 — Choose your audience
The audience picker has five tabs:
- By tag — everyone carrying a tag such as vip or abandoned-cart.
- By segment — a live filter on tags, attributes and dates (see building audiences with segments).
- CSV list — paste a list of numbers with their own column values.
- Google Sheet — pull recipients straight from a spreadsheet (see sending from a Google Sheet).
- Re-target — reach the people from a past broadcast by outcome, e.g. those who didn't reply.
Recipients are a snapshot taken when the broadcast starts, so late-added contacts won't be surprised by an old campaign.
Step 4 — Fill in the personal bits
Wherever your template has a blank to fill (these look like {{1}}, {{2}}), tell ConvoFly what goes there: the same text for everyone, or something personal to each customer like their first name or order number. For the personal option, add a fallback word (like "there") so anyone missing that detail still gets a message that reads well. Full detail in personalizing broadcasts.
Step 5 — Test-send to yourself
Always run a test send to your own number first. It renders the template exactly as recipients will see it — media, buttons, and your personalized values resolved against the test number's attributes. This is the single best habit for catching typos before they reach thousands. See test sends & previews.
Step 6 — Send now or schedule
Send immediately, or schedule for a time your audience is active. Prefer a repeating cadence? Turn on recurring broadcasts instead of a one-time send.
After it sends
Watch delivery in real time. You can pause, resume or cancel mid-flight, and every recipient's status (sent, delivered, read, failed) is tracked and exportable. See delivery stats & reports.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need an approved template to broadcast?
WhatsApp requires business-initiated messages sent outside the 24-hour customer service window to use a template Meta has reviewed. This keeps promotional messaging accountable and is what lets you reach customers who haven't messaged you recently.
Can I edit a broadcast after scheduling it?
You can cancel a scheduled broadcast before it starts and create a new one. Once a broadcast begins sending you can pause, resume or cancel it, but the template and audience snapshot are locked in.
How long does template approval take?
Usually a few minutes to a few hours. Utility and authentication templates tend to approve faster than marketing ones. Avoid promotional wording in utility templates or they'll be rejected or re-categorized.